


Re-testing the Hypothesis

by ShaneVansen



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, post-ep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-15
Updated: 2010-02-15
Packaged: 2017-10-07 07:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/62622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaneVansen/pseuds/ShaneVansen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She keeps staring at his mouth.  <i>The Long Goodbye</i> post-ep, sequel to "Hypothetically Speaking."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Re-testing the Hypothesis

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, as always, to Ro and Vicki for catching my errors and for fixing those lines that just weren't working.
> 
> Originally posted to LJ February 2006.

She keeps staring at his mouth.

It's his own fault, John knows. He's the one who suggested they kiss, to put the whole Phoebus/Thalan thing "behind them." Although, he muses, it's not entirely his fault that they failed spectacularly. At least half that blame is hers.

What John doesn't know is if Elizabeth is doing it on purpose as a means of payback or if, like him, she can't get it out of her mind.

John thought it was hard before, with the memory of Thalan and Phoebus and that damn kiss. But it's even worse now, because he no longer wonders what it would be like to kiss Elizabeth. No, now he knows what she feels like, what she tastes like. How she presses her body into his.

With a groan of frustration he rolls over on the bed to flop on his back, staring at the ceiling of his room before admitting defeat.

When he wanders into the mess hall, the lights are dim. It doesn't stop him from recognizing the lone occupant of the room, however. Almost out of sight, Elizabeth's tucked into a back corner next to a window, one leg drawn up to her chest as she sips from a mug. He forgoes the coffee he doesn't really want anyway and sits across from her, getting a smile in greeting.

"What are you doing up?" he asks, reaching for the sugar dispenser so he'll have something to play with. He's not good at sitting still.

"Couldn't sleep," replies Elizabeth. She glances down at her mug, swirling the liquid, and adds, "Hot chocolate seemed like a good idea."

"Oh," John utters, at a loss for what to say. There's an unaccustomed awkwardness between them recently, not exactly tension, but a new level of awareness. It makes him jumpy. With absolutely no intention of doing so he blurts out, "Maybe we should try it again."

A single raised eyebrow lets him know she thinks he's out of his mind. "Excuse me?"

He desperately wishes he could backpedal but he doubts she would let him. Still playing with the container of sugar, he shrugs. "It might have been a… fluke."

There's an odd, strangled look on her face, like she's trying not to laugh at him. Or perhaps she simply thinks he's finally lost it. "A fluke," she repeats.

He feels like an idiot. Silence reigns as he tries desperately to come up with an explanation that doesn't sound completely ridiculous. When he chances a glance at Elizabeth's face a few moments later, she looks skeptical. But, to his confusion, she also looks contemplative.

"I suppose," she says slowly, "that we could try it again." He stares at her, dumbfounded, and she shrugs a little. "There could have been mitigating factors. It's only sensible to… make sure."

John's pretty sure his mouth's hanging open. That she's even listening to his proposition is beyond belief, but adding to his confusion is her remarkably sanguine attitude. Shouldn't she be as flustered about this as he is?

Squinting, he tilts his head and regards her thoughtfully. After several seconds her cheeks start to turn red and she glances away, and John is perversely pleased that Elizabeth isn't as unaffected as she pretends to be.

This realization gives him the courage to stand up and walk around to her side of the table. When he holds out a hand, she takes it, and he tugs her up until she's standing right in front of him.

Unlike the last time, when John waited for her to make the first move, this time he reaches for her first. One hand slides into the hair behind her ear, his thumb resting on her cheek; the other hand fits nicely on her hip. She raises her arms, moving one around to the back of his neck and leaving the other lightly touching his collarbone. They're close enough that he can smell the citrus scent of her shampoo.

Her eyes have never looked so green.

He hesitates.

It's a bad time for personal insight, but John suddenly realizes that he's not sure if he wants this kiss to mean anything. He's the one who pushed for it, both times, and he knows the spark of attraction is there. But for the first time John's aware that whatever the outcome of the kiss, it will affect their friendship, and he's never had a friendship quite like this. Part of him is afraid of screwing it up.

"John?"

He's been staring at her this whole time, but now he _looks_ at her. From the way she's looking back at him, it seems Elizabeth understands his hesitation – and she's still here. That's enough to convince him.

There's no awkwardness, this time. They find each other's lips easily, coming together with the perfect amount of pressure, and Elizabeth leans her upper body into his in that way he's come to expect.

The kiss lasts just a few seconds, then they both pull back. Before John has time to do much more than draw a breath her mouth is back on his, and this kiss is deep and wet and slow, the hand on her hip sliding around to the small of her back to press her even closer. She tastes like chocolate, he notes absently, before his brain short circuits at the feel of Elizabeth's fingers threading through the hair at the base of his skull.

By the time they pull away, they're both breathing raggedly. "So," John starts, licking his lips. "Probably not a fluke?" Which means they'll actually have to deal with this.

The corners of her mouth turn up in a small smile, and she has that mischievous look he so rarely gets to see. "I don't know," she responds, sounding almost casual. "The situation might bear further investigation."

Her smile is getting bigger by the second, and John can feel the answering grin stealing across his own face. "Just to be sure," he agrees, stepping forward, closing the short distance between them.

Elizabeth wraps her arms around him again, one across his back, the other winding around his neck. "We wouldn't want to make any uninformed decisions."

His arms slide around her waist, pulling her flush against him, one hand slipping beneath her shirt to rest on the bare skin of her lower back.

He's really looking forward to seeing where this takes them.

\--end--


End file.
